Not sure if this is the right forum to use.
I'm buying a s/hand Puffin from the USA. It ways under 500 gram so even with good packaging I doubt it will weigh more than about 750 grams. With insurance, what is the cheapest way to ship. I don't need to receive it 'yesterday'.
Bear in mind that I will have to pay an French/EU import charge of 20% on the whole deal, not just the product. FedEx/UPS demand this import cost at point of delivery plus I believe a service charge as well. Is USPS the cheapest solution, no answers from theory thank you.
I'm buying a s/hand Puffin from the USA. It ways under 500 gram so even with good packaging I doubt it will weigh more than about 750 grams. With insurance, what is the cheapest way to ship. I don't need to receive it 'yesterday'.
Bear in mind that I will have to pay an French/EU import charge of 20% on the whole deal, not just the product. FedEx/UPS demand this import cost at point of delivery plus I believe a service charge as well. Is USPS the cheapest solution, no answers from theory thank you.
I find these fights between states ridiculous, it's unproductive and it slows down the markets.
25 years ago I bought a lot in the USA, now almost nothing, yet we have a lot to share, but what can we do about it...
25 years ago I bought a lot in the USA, now almost nothing, yet we have a lot to share, but what can we do about it...
I had spare parts reshipped from Utah to Italy last month. The cheapest options was USPS Priority Mail International Flat Rate Box. The original seller shipped the parts inside a smaller USPS regional rate box, but the international flat rate box was cheaper to ship to Europe despite being bigger. I asked to my friend to put the USPS regional rate box inside the Priority Mail International Flat Rate Box, and the shipping cost was almost halved. You may need to explain the trick to your USA reference, if they aren't accustomed to ship overseas. They also must fill the PS Form 2976-R . It is required by USPS to clear the customs. Again, if the USA sender is not accustomed to ship overseas, you may download the form from the USPS web site and fill it for them. If the destination address is a business, it is best to also fill the HS Tariff number code asked by the form as optional information. According to my experience, if the HS code is missing and the package value is above a threshold, the Italian customs may send a notice asking for this number and also the company VAT ID. The administrative fee for this customs clearance service due to missing/incomplete declaration is currently 11 euro, slighly lower than some international carriers, and will be added to the regular customs fee. I guess that French post charges are in the same ballpark.
Your device is small and you may get away with the small flat rate box. Check sizes and weight on the USPS web site. As general rule, according to my experience, shipping to Europe with USPS is cheaper if you use a USPS flat rate box instead of a generic package. I am still seeking for a cheaper option, but a tracked shipping from USA to Europe seems to be expensive lately.
Your device is small and you may get away with the small flat rate box. Check sizes and weight on the USPS web site. As general rule, according to my experience, shipping to Europe with USPS is cheaper if you use a USPS flat rate box instead of a generic package. I am still seeking for a cheaper option, but a tracked shipping from USA to Europe seems to be expensive lately.
^^^^ excellent and thorough answer.
Besides that, what is "a Puffin"?
PS: I was shocked by Eurosender fees: "starting a 107 Euro"????? 😱
Besides that, what is "a Puffin"?
PS: I was shocked by Eurosender fees: "starting a 107 Euro"????? 😱
and if I tell you that on Ebay, it can cost me up to 520 us dollars in taxes and shipping costs for a used transformer at 105 dollars...
The ebay GSP option can be expensive, and it does not support the EU business tax refund process. When the value of the shipment is not trivial, a reshipper is usually a better option. Access to better shipping rates can also offset the reshipper processing fee.
I know what a Puffin bird is, I am asking about the supposedly electronic device mentioned here.
Thanks.
Can´t doubt its performance, which must be excellent, but it certainly looks ugly and the most un-ergonomic Audio device I ever saw.
Oh well.
Can´t doubt its performance, which must be excellent, but it certainly looks ugly and the most un-ergonomic Audio device I ever saw.
Oh well.
Are those Hammond diecast boxes?
Construction is practically same as in a Guitar pedal, only the latter drill the cases as needed to put controls , input/output, supply connectors, etc. in ergonomically sound places .... here they tried to save "all that work" by cramming everything in the case bottom ....... result hurts the eyes.
My main problem is with having those RCA connectors on that horizontal "front" panel so cables reach and leave Preamp coming from behind but arching on top.
This is the proper way to do that: all controls accessible to user but external wiring unobtrusively on sides or back, depending on orientation:
Of course,they had to drill the box.
Again, nothing about the Preamp sound or Electronics, but I am less than impressed by layout and ergonomics.
The moment I saw it I remembered a "project enclosure" which was very popular in the late 60s, I used them myself, a square plastic box (in fact it was early 1900s technology Bakelite, go figure) with a square sheet of Aluminum to close it (easy to drill for a poorly equipped beginner) , it was cheap and plentiful because it was meant to house some kind of Telephony wiring or switching or mini patch panel.
Even so, I quickly learnt to drill it on the sides for connectors, otherwise wiring gets in the way.
By the way, just noticed the "front panel" s also a PCB.
Nothing saves more time and effort than asking the Chinese to do all the work I guess.
I guess this is the "new normal", "Factories" sporting a lonely screwdriver as all the "machinery" needed.
Oh well, maybe I am the dinosaur here.
As hardcore as can be, just stopped for a cup of coffee while cutting/bending/punching/treating/painting/silkscreening a batch of 40 front/back panels for 100W Guitar amps, go figure.
Construction is practically same as in a Guitar pedal, only the latter drill the cases as needed to put controls , input/output, supply connectors, etc. in ergonomically sound places .... here they tried to save "all that work" by cramming everything in the case bottom ....... result hurts the eyes.
My main problem is with having those RCA connectors on that horizontal "front" panel so cables reach and leave Preamp coming from behind but arching on top.
This is the proper way to do that: all controls accessible to user but external wiring unobtrusively on sides or back, depending on orientation:
Of course,they had to drill the box.
Again, nothing about the Preamp sound or Electronics, but I am less than impressed by layout and ergonomics.
The moment I saw it I remembered a "project enclosure" which was very popular in the late 60s, I used them myself, a square plastic box (in fact it was early 1900s technology Bakelite, go figure) with a square sheet of Aluminum to close it (easy to drill for a poorly equipped beginner) , it was cheap and plentiful because it was meant to house some kind of Telephony wiring or switching or mini patch panel.
Even so, I quickly learnt to drill it on the sides for connectors, otherwise wiring gets in the way.
By the way, just noticed the "front panel" s also a PCB.
Nothing saves more time and effort than asking the Chinese to do all the work I guess.
I guess this is the "new normal", "Factories" sporting a lonely screwdriver as all the "machinery" needed.
Oh well, maybe I am the dinosaur here.
As hardcore as can be, just stopped for a cup of coffee while cutting/bending/punching/treating/painting/silkscreening a batch of 40 front/back panels for 100W Guitar amps, go figure.
This construction style is becoming common, we will see more of them I guess. The metal enclosoure is a cheap standard diecast box for electrical installations; can be sostituted by a plastic one. The FR4 front panel and main PCB production may be inexpensive and easy to outsource. This is a very good solution for a DIY build, by the way, because on a technical standpoint it does work fine. The main drawbacks are 3: ergonomics is bad, the product does not looks good, and it is too easy to counterfeit. It is a very quick way to put a product on the market.
I tell myself more and more that it's really a shame that we are all in the 4 corners of the world because there are a lot of people here that I would really like to meet in person and share all these experiences and what could have been happen to us during our different journeys.
Merci beaucoup, vous êtes très aimable 🙂
Je suis impressionné par votre traduction ... avez vous utilisé Google ou quelconque autre service?
Presque parfait, sauf pour "fermez-le" > "fermer-le" (on parle du Fabricant et non de Vous même).
Thanks a lot, you are very kind.
I was impressed by your translation, did you use Google or some other service?
Or you hand-corrected/polished it?
Francophone here, in fact coming partly from French stock, my grand Mother was Jourdan.
All kinds of Celts inside: Irish, Castillian/Galician Spanish and French, go figure.
Thank great Forums such as DIY Audio for joining together people from all around the World 🙂
As of France proper, I haven´t been there for ages but am sending my Son there, he´s studying Industrial Engineering "to be just like Dad" 😉 and going for 1 year to Strasbourg, go figure, on a work/study visa.
Meaning: after all, it IS a "small World" 🙂
Je suis impressionné par votre traduction ... avez vous utilisé Google ou quelconque autre service?
Presque parfait, sauf pour "fermez-le" > "fermer-le" (on parle du Fabricant et non de Vous même).
Thanks a lot, you are very kind.
I was impressed by your translation, did you use Google or some other service?
Or you hand-corrected/polished it?
Francophone here, in fact coming partly from French stock, my grand Mother was Jourdan.
All kinds of Celts inside: Irish, Castillian/Galician Spanish and French, go figure.
Thank great Forums such as DIY Audio for joining together people from all around the World 🙂
As of France proper, I haven´t been there for ages but am sending my Son there, he´s studying Industrial Engineering "to be just like Dad" 😉 and going for 1 year to Strasbourg, go figure, on a work/study visa.
Meaning: after all, it IS a "small World" 🙂